Partial Lists of Clients & References

Client References

I think that the reason we have ended up with THE very best candidate to lead our club forward is because of the process that you used to define requirements, identify and screen candidates, and to thoroughly vet, test and qualify the one that best met our needs and wants and the one who will really fit with our membership and employees. No doubt, we could not have done this ourselves and your guidance and leadership in the process was critical to the excellent result we have achieved in hiring Kevin Carroll.

Robert Dutlinger, President - Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, GA

Amongst other venues of how to achieve our goals, we spoke to many different clubs and managers for recommendation if we decided to utilize a professional search firm. The name that kept coming back was KOPPLIN & KUEBLER, more than any others.

After an initial phone call with Dick Kopplin and following meeting with our search committee, we were thoroughly convinced we had the right fit to help us accomplish this very important task. The candidates that were presented were all, of the caliber, that we expected, the back ground work was thorough, the presentations were very professional, making the process quite pleasant.

William Floberg, Past President - Waverley Country Club, Portland, OR

Lisa, your attention to detail, interview structure, candidate vetting and execution of this search process was flawless. From actively listening to our team to develop the candidate profile, to carefully selecting qualified individuals who fit our culture; the process was methodically done and completed in such a thorough manner. Please accept my heartfelt appreciation and thanks for everything that you did to make this process a special success.

Your thorough investigation and “vetting” of potential candidates for our Club resulted in five well-qualified candidates for the Search Committee’s consideration. You provided invaluable assistance during the interview process to help lead and focus the discussion so that each of the candidates was fairly evaluated.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Fort Wayne Country Club, I extend my unqualified endorsement for the professional manner in which you assisted our Club in selector our new GM/COO.

John O. Feighner, President - Fort Wayne Country Club Fort Wayne, IN

In as much as we have not had to conduct a search in quite some time, you and your firm brought professionalism and structure to something we used to perform on our own. You set the bar extremely high for all further searches and instead of wondering how we will do them, we now know to just call KOPPLIN & KUEBLER. Every part of the search, from the pre-meetings to the background screenings to the final negotiations, was conducted on an extremely professional level to which we were deeply impressed.

I wanted to reach out to you to convey our gratitude for the excellent work you and your team did on our recent Golf Course Superintendent search. It was a very smooth and well organized effort and we could not be more pleased with how it turned out. We appreciated the deep industry knowledge and contacts that both you and Armen brought to the process which resulted in an excellent group of candidates for our consideration. You did an outstanding job reviewing the candidates and helping us select finalists and ultimately a new Superintendent of the highest caliber and fit to meet the standards we were seeking at Knollwood Club.

Frank Pasquesi, President - Knollwood Club Lake Forest, IL

Thank you so much for your excellent work in finding us a new Club Manager for St. Martins. From the moment of engagement, you were responsive, thoughtful, expert, and demonstrated why KOPPLIN & KUEBLER has built the reputation you enjoy. You did a terrific job in finding strong candidates. You led the process effectively. You were available at all times. You were flexible and quick to react when conditions warranted. Kurt we couldn’t have done this without you.

Tim Muessle, CCM General Manager/COO - Philadelphia Cricket Club

On behalf of my colleagues on the Board of Directors of the Ocean Club, and mine as well, I want to thank you and your firm for guiding us through the search for our new General Manager. The candidates you identified were uniformly well qualified and surpassed the criteria that we had established. My colleagues and I were particularly impressed by the breadth of professional experiences they possessed and it was difficult choosing from so many impressive candidates. Your steady hand and good humor through the process were important in our final selection.

Fausto Gomez, President - Ocean Club Miami, FL

No other firm comes close to contributing as much time, energy and resources into the club industry and, as former club managers, all of the key players at KOPPLIN & KUEBLER have an intimate understanding of the club business and what it takes to be successful in it. They care passionately about the club industry, the people that serve in it, and the communities that are served by it. Truly, these are club professionals and outstanding characters in every way.

During our recent search for a Director of Golf, KOPPLIN & KUEBLER was able to secure well-qualified applicants from America, Europe and the Middle East. We used other channels to try and source well-qualified candidates but ultimately everyone that made our shortlist came through KOPPLIN & KUEBLER.

Miles W. Tucker, CCM General Manager/COO - Hillcrest Country Club Los Angeles, CA

“Jack, the upfront work you did getting to know our Club and time you spent with Greg and the staff prior to the retreat were very beneficial to the quality of our day. This coupled with your industry expertise resulted in a comprehensive and effective planning session. All of the board members with whom I’ve spoken have expressed their pleasure with the process and outcome as well. Those board members who have participated in our past few retreats feel this was, by far, the best. Thank you again for a great retreat. I’m so pleased with the overall day and the ultimate outcome.”

Debby Grauman, President - Round Hill Country Club Alamo, CA

“As you know, we needed the process to be thorough and thoughtful but also expedient. You delivered on all counts. We feel confident that we hired the right candidate to manage our club. We would not hesitate to highly recommend Kopplin & Kuebler to other clubs who are looking for a top-quality executive placement firm.”

“There were several specific things you did well, but the one I felt best about was your advice to commit the hours and complete the assessment survey prior to beginning the search. This really helped us define the exact person we were looking for which allowed us to focus on the right candidates, and the right candidates on us. In the end, we believe we have hired someone who will be a cornerstone of the club for many years to come.”

Ralph Miller, Search Chairman - Bethesda Country Club Bethesda, MD

“In reflecting back on the Executive Chef search process, I keep singing your praises among colleagues and friends. The search and recruitment process which you have implemented was not only flawless but very productive. Your review and background work is amazing as it provided the team and me with pertinent information and helped us narrow the field with better accuracy to meet the objectives. Not only did you make my job easier, you also helped me shine and you helped the Club get a great Executive Chef who has perfectly met our expectations.”

“Thank you Dick, Kurt, Nan and your entire staff for your outstanding efforts in assisting with our search for a new general manager for Oakmont Country Club. Your professionalism, availability, timely responses and especially your knowledge of the industry and potential candidates were invaluable in locating and hiring the right person for the job.”

Richard T. Space, Search Chairman - Oakmont Country Club Oakmont, PA

“I would like to thank you for your recent consulting on our management structure format and on our search for a new President and COO. We are grateful for the consulting you have done to educate and elevate our board to the policy making, finance-driven board we desire to be. Your work in guiding us through the selection process was comprehensive and timely. As I have said at the beginning of each board meeting, ‘The business of the board is business; the business of the club is social.’ Thank you for helping us with the business of the club.”

Jack Brier, President - Topeka Country Club Topeka, KS

“Having interviewed three search firms, there was no question that Kopplin & Kuebler would provide the best quality candidates, the best process with which to compare each, and the best follow up. Your accessibility was appreciated, as was your honest and open approach to our committee and to the candidates. I personally gained insight from our one on one conversations about the transition and the management of operations by the Executive Committee. It was an added benefit having your experience and knowledge available to draw upon when needed.”

Lynn Meeker, President - Country Club of Landfall Wilmington, NC

“Your guidance, expertise and industry knowledge made this process one of ease and in the end – even fun. Our search committee’s decision to hire your firm was a great one. That was exceeded only by the great results of the process you led us through. Your knowledge of the candidates going into the process and your guidance for both the search committee and the candidates made everything work wonderfully smooth. You took care of all the details – it was effortless for us.”

Steve Wright, President - Crow Valley Golf Club Davenport, IA

“The overview you provided to the governance and strategic planning process was very helpful and necessary. It allowed the Board to be productive as a team in a setting where they could be led by you through a valuable process of appropriately identifying and delving into strategic planning for Desert Highlands. We probably could have continued sessions all day at a high energy-focused level with the outcome of what was accomplished in just a few hours.”

“Upon completion of our Gleneagles Board of Governors orientation, it was clear to me that you possessed the skills needed to undertake the search for our Director of Golf Course Maintenance, one of the pivotal positions at Gleneagles. Throughout the entire process you were professional, very communicative and left no stone unturned once the final candidate list was submitted for our review. Your selection of Tim Hiers to assist in the technical aspect of the search was the perfect choice. My committee members continue to compliment me on the selection of Kopplin & Kuebler and the process that you took us through.”

Kraig Spina, General Manager/COO - Gleneagles Country Club

“Your firm presented itself with an impressive record of achievement in aiding several famous and prestigious Clubs around the country as well as Clubs of similar size and annual budgets as our own. We conducted our own inquiries with some of those Clubs and decided to ask you to conduct our search. We decided well and are very pleased with the professional manner in which you conducted the effort and the final result.”

“Through the initial screens, development of resumes, short lists and ultimate candidate interviews, the process went very smoothly. Your professionalism, expertise and knowledge of the current marketplace were instrumental in our finding the right candidate for our position. Please know your assistance was much appreciated.”

“We believe you have done such a good job we shouldn’t have to require your services again for a long, long time. If we should, you can rest assured you will be the first search firm we call.”

Jack Conner, President - The Reserve Club Indian Wells, CA

“Your contacts and knowledge in the industry are invaluable. Your support, guidance and involvement throughout the process were as advertised and greatly appreciated. Hiring Kopplin and Kuebler was one of the best decisions we have ever made.”

Don Black, Search Chairman - Ironwood Country Club Palm Desert, CA

“Your presentation to our Committee was the best of the four search firms that we interviewed, and your process seemed both logical and driven towards success. You were the unanimous selection of our Committee. The other members of the committee have since commented to me on how fortunate we were to interview and select you. The process ran exactly as you predicted and quite frankly you delivered on every promise you made.”

James L. Nouss, Jr. Search Chairman - Bellerive Country Club St. Louis, MO

“Your disciplined, professional approach from beginning to end enabled me and the Search Team to focus on the potential candidates and not the process. I personally want to thank you for taking full responsibility for all of the administrative aspects of the search, selection and hiring process and for the timely and informative communications throughout. You are a true professional and I sincerely enjoyed working with you on this very important project.”

Mr. Ron Burns, Club President - The Estancia Club, Scottsdale, AZ

“On behalf of the Search Committee and the Baltusrol Board, we would like to thank you for the outstanding service you gave us during our GM/COO search. Your leadership, guidance and superior communication skills helped us immensely during the process. Baltusrol is delighted to have landed our number one choice and I commend you on your efforts.”

“Every aspect of your search process was thorough, efficient and ethical. Your open lines of communication with each member of the Committee and our acting GM were very much appreciated and helped make a challenging task much easier. We were very impressed by your effort to determine that this would be a good career move for the individual ultimately selected.”

“I just wanted to express to you a sincere “thank you” on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Club for a job “well done” in finding our new General Manager. You made the difficult process of hiring a new GM much simpler and saved our Search Committee a great deal of time and effort. I was personally very happy that you were by my side all the way through this process.”

“I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you for the outstanding job you did during our strategic planning process. From start to finish you clearly demonstrated why you are considered to be the “best” in the industry! Your approach to the process was very thoughtful and eye opening. Your extensive background as one of the industry’s most celebrated and successful executives enabled you to lead the Board, its committees, and the staff in a way that was not threatening and permitted those fortunate enough to be a part of the process to be free thinkers and express their thoughts and beliefs.”

“On behalf of Mizner Country Club’s Board of Directors thank you for an outstanding presentation on Strategic Planning and Goal Setting. The background you provided us along with your personal firsthand experiences and insight was invaluable. I am confident all of us will approach our duties and responsibilities with a greater appreciation of those we serve. Best wishes for the future.”